NGOs call for release of additional documentation and a 60 day delay to ensure a fair and informed process
On July 30, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced a series of international technical workshops on the proposed Nam Theun 2 (NT2) Hydropower Project in Lao PDR. These workshops will be held in Bangkok (August 31), Tokyo (September 3), Paris (September 7), Washington (September 10), and Vientiane (September 20). The workshops, scheduled to begin fewer than 30 days from now, are intended to provide an opportunity for public discussion on the project and the series of safeguard documents that the World Bank says have been made publicly available in draft form since May 2004.
However, in response, 16 NGOs have signed a letter calling on the World Bank to “end the secrecy around what the World Bank calls a model project” and delay the international consultations until 60 days after the release of other crucial documents, including, among others, the complete Power Purchase Agreement, World Bank economic and financial analyses of the project, and the Power Sector Development Plan for Laos. The NGOs note that in addition to not releasing key financial documents related to the Project, parts of the World Bank’s safeguard documents – such as the full Social Development Plan – are still not publicly available.